SDA'S KEEPING SUNDAY HOLY

By Glenn Coon
Conference News ~ Summer 2004

For the first time, the Cohutta, Ga., church was involved with a program called Fifth Sunday on Feb. 29, bringing nearly 125 people to the church and raising approximately $272 for a local senior citizen program sponsored by the local First Baptist church. Each Tuesday morning, 50 or 60 people from a number of denominations gather at the Baptist church for fellowship and a meal. All of the churches involved help with the expense by taking offerings at their Fifth Sunday Youth Team Gives Ooltewah a Reason2b By Rebecca Baerg The Cohutta, Ga., church helped fund a local senior program. meetings, held four times a year, to go toward the expenses of the senior citizen program. Glenn and Marty Coon, of the Adventist church in Cohutta, joined the weekly senior citizens program a couple of years ago in order to get better acquainted with others in the area. Before the Coons joined the group, the Adventist church had never been involved in Fifth Sunday, but this year the church decided to join with the first meeting of the year being held at the Adventist church.

Each Friday night from Jan. 9 through Feb. 20, the Collegedale and Hamilton Community, Tenn., churches held student-led evangelistic meetings called Reason2b at Ooltewah's public high school. One of the unique aspects of Reason2b was the casual and conversational setting. Each meeting began with singing, mixer games and a drama presentation. Then a student speaker gave a short presentation, after which, there was time for Table-Talk, where group leaders facilitated discussion with the people at their table about the topic presented.

Ben Schnell shared his thoughts about Table-Talk, saying, “You feel more involved and get to discuss things with people.” “As the youth pastor of these kids,” said Tim Cross, youth pastor at the Collegedale church, “my real burden is for them to have a heart for evangelism, a heart for reaching out beyond their friendship groups.” -See http://www.gccsda.com/news/communique/images/Summer04.pdf for complete document